US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said to the Chinese side, “The world is paying attention,” as Beijing continues to refuse to blame Russia for a military attack on its neighbors, putting pressure on China over the March 5 crisis in Ukraine. I’m doing it. “
Blinken said on the phone with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.according to statementThe two discussed what the State Department called “Moscow’s planned, provocative and unjust war against Ukraine.”
Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, said:
“He emphasized that the world is united in refusing to invade Russia and responding to it, ensuring that Moscow pays a lot,” Price added.
Now, about two weeks after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese government has openly refused to retreat on either side. However, the communist government has shown subtle support for the Kremlin, both domestically and internationally.
At the beginning of the invasion, China withdrew its wheat import sanctions on Russia. Meanwhile, Beijing has also criticized US sanctions against Russia.
The Communist government has refrained from calling Russia’s military aggression an “aggression.” Chinese media outlets have also avoided calling it an aggression in reporting the Ukrainian crisis, using the vague phrase “current situation” or the description of Moscow’s “special military operations.”
At the United Nations, Beijing has repeatedly supported Russia. On February 25, China abstained from voting in a UN Security Council resolution calling for Moscow to stop its attacks on Ukraine and immediately withdraw its troops.
Recently, China too Abstention From a vote on the UN Security Council Resolution on March 4. Resolution — adopted after 32 states of the 47-member council voted in favor —call Establishment of an independent international committee to investigate alleged human rights abuses committed by Russia in the war with Ukraine.
The US State Department did not provide any other details about the call, but China’s Foreign Ministry issued a long statement calling the Ukrainian crisis the “Ukrainian problem.”
According to Chinese sources, the king told Blinken that China welcomed negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. He also encouraged the United States, NATO, the European Union, and Russia to engage in “dialogue on an equal footing.”
According to Mr. Wang, the quadrilateral dialogue “should pay attention to the negative impact of NATO’s continued eastern expansion on Russia’s security efforts.”
China and Russia now boast an “unlimited” partnership, and Beijing’s opposition to NATO expansion is an important issue underlying bilateral relations. The partnership was announced in a joint statement on February 4, after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met at the Beijing Olympics.
The Chinese reading also said that Wang and Blinken were talking about the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan.
The king allegedly told Blinken that China was “deeply concerned” about recent speeches and actions “obstructing China’s internal affairs” and “from the US” regarding Taiwan.
Chinese readings did not identify what China was upset about, but the Chinese administration urged Washington to diplomatically recognize Taiwan during its recent four-day visit to Taiwan, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike.・ It is highly possible that Pompeo is angry. Sovereign country.
Pompeo arrived in Taiwan on March 2nd and met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on March 3rd.
Global Times, China’s hawkish state media, denounced Pompeo’s visit to Taiwan as a “poor political farce” in an article published on March 1.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) considers Taiwan as part of China’s territory and forces it to integrate with the mainland as needed. However, Taiwan has its own liberal democratic government, which is firmly opposed to the CCP’s dictatorial model of governance and is widely recognized as a de facto independent organization.
Washington ended diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979 in favor of Beijing, but has a strong relationship with the island under the Taiwan Relations Act, which allows the United States to provide the island with military equipment for self-defense. Maintained.
Blinken and Wang also spoke on the phone on February 22, hours after Putin ordered his troops into an area owned by two separatists in eastern Ukraine, after admitting them to be independent. did.
The Epoch Times contacted the State Department for comment on Taiwan and Pompeo’s recommendations.
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Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers news in China and Taiwan. He holds a master’s degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.